The Seed

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick
to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and
many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!

His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

* If you plant faith, you will reap a harvest

So, be careful what you plant now;
it will determine what you will reap later.


Taken from Adil's "The Seed"

Formula for Success

A small truth to make our Life's 100% successful.. ........


If A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Is equal to 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26


Then H +A +R + D+ W +O + R+ K = 8 + 1+ 18 +4 + 23+ 15 +18 + 11 = 98%




K + N+ O+ W +L + E+ D +G + E = 11 +14 + 15+ 23 +12 + 5+ 4 +7 + 5 = 96%


L + O+ V+ E =12 + 15+ 22 +5 = 54%


L + U+ C+ K = 12 + 21+ 3 +11 = 47%


(None of them makes 100%)


............ ......... ......... .


Then what makes 100%


Is it Money? ..... No!!!!!


Leadership? ....... NO!!!!


Every problem has a solution, only if we perhaps


change our "ATTITUDE".


It is OUR ATTITUDE towards Life and Work that makes


OUR Life 100% Successful..


A + T+ T+ I +T + U+ D +E = 1+ 20 +20 + 9+ 20 +21 + 4+ 5 = 100%


Don't you think so?!?!?!?


Taken from Adil's "Formula for Success"

Golden Words

Dr. ABDUL KALAM
What is the Secret of SUCCESS... ? "RIGHT DECISIONS"
How do you make Right Decisions... ? "EXPERIENCE"
How do you get Experience.. . ? "WRONG DECISIONS"

Dr. ABDUL KALAM
Without your involvement you can't succeed. With your involvement you can't fail.

Dr. ABDUL KALAM
You are not responsible for what people think about you.
But you are responsible for what you give them to think about you.

STANLEY FERRARD
A man is lucky if he is the first love of a Woman.
A woman is lucky if she is the last love of a man.

CHARLES DICKENS
Write your Sad times in Sand, Write your Good times in Stone.

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
Behind every successful man, there is an untold pain in his heart.

BILL JACOBS
It's better to lose your Ego to the one you Love,
than to lose the one you LOVE because of EGO.

JOHN KEATS
Don't make promise when you are in JOY .. Don't reply when you are SAD.
Don't take decisions when you are ANGRY.. Think twice, Act wise.
BE happy...!

Taken from Adil's "Golden Words"

The Habitual Mistake

An employee walks into the Accounts office and says "What is the meaning of this. I have been paid $200 less than what was decided upon."

The Accountant replies "I know about it, but you did not complain when we paid $200 extra by mistake last month."

The employee snaps back "Yeah, I can bear with occasional mistakes but when you make it a habit I think I need to report."

Taken from Adil's "The Habitual Mistake"

Heaven

A woman arrived at the Gates of Heaven. While she was waiting for Saint Peter to greet her, she peeked through the gates.

She saw a beautiful banquet table. Sitting all around were her parents and all the other people she had loved and who had died before her. They saw her and began calling greetings to her "Hello - How are you! We've been waiting for you! Good to see you."

When Saint Peter came by, the woman said to him, "This is such a wonderful place! How do I get in?" "You have to spell a word," Saint Peter told her.

"Which word?" the woman asked.

"Love."

The woman correctly spelled "Love" and Saint Peter welcomed her into Heaven.

About a year later, Saint Peter came to the woman and asked her to watch the Gates of Heaven for him that day.

While the woman was guarding the Gates of Heaven, her husband arrived. "I'm surprised to see you," the woman said. "How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been doing pretty well since you died," her husband told her. "I married the beautiful young nurse who took care of you while you were ill. And then I won the multi-state lottery. I sold the little house you and I lived in and bought a huge mansion. And my wife and I traveled all around the world. We were on vacation in Cancun and I went water skiing today. I fell and hit my head, and here I am. What a bummer! How do I get in?"

"You have to spell a word," the woman told him.

"Which word?" her husband asked.

"Czechoslovakia."

Moral of the story: Never make a woman angry... There will be Hell to pay later!


Taken from Adil's "Heaven"

Taxi Driver

A taxi passenger tapped the driver on the shoulder to ask him a question. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the footpath, and stopped centimeters from a shop window.

For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said, "Look mate, don't ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!"

The passenger apologized and said, "I didn't realize that a little tap would scare you so much. "

The driver replied, "Sorry, it's not really your fault. Today is my first day as a cab driver. I've been driving a funeral van for the last 25 years."

Taken from Adil's "Taxi Driver"

Sex Life

A guy went to a psychiatrist because he was having severe problems with his sex life. The psychiatrist asked him a lot of questions, but didn't seem to be getting a clear picture of the problems.

Finally he asked, "Do you ever watch your girlfriend's face while you're having sex?"

"Well, yes, I did once."

"Well, how did she look?"

"Oh boy, she looked VERY angry!"

At this point the psychiatrist felt that he was really getting somewhere and he said, "Well that's very interesting, we must look into this further.

Now tell me, you say that you have only seen your girlfriend's face once during sex, that seems somewhat unusual. How did it occur that you saw her face that time?"

"She was watching us through the window".

Taken from Adil's "Sex Life"

Proudy Red Rose

One beautiful spring day a red rose blossomed in a forest. Many kinds of trees and plants grew there. As the rose looked around, a pine tree nearby said, "What a beautiful flower. I wish I was that lovely."

Another tree said, "Dear pine, do not be sad, we can not have everything."

The rose turned its head and remarked, "It seems that I am the most beautiful plant in this forest."

A sunflower raised its yellow head and asked, "Why do you say that? In this forest there are many beautiful plants. You are just one of them." The red rose replied, "I see everyone looking at me and admiring me."

Then the rose looked at a cactus and said, "Look at that ugly plant full of thorns!" The pine tree said, "Red rose, what kind of talk is this? Who can say what beauty is? You have thorns too."

The proud red rose looked angrily at the pine and said, "I thought you had good taste! You do not know what beauty is at all. You can not compare my thorns to that of the cactus."

"What a proud flower", thought the trees.

The rose tried to move its roots away from the cactus, but it could not move. As the days passed, the red rose would look at the cactus and say insulting things, like: This plant is useless? How sorry I am to be his neighbor."

The cactus never got upset and he even tried to advise the rose, saying, "God did not create any form of life without a purpose."

Spring passed, and the weather became very warm. Life became difficult in the forest, as the plants and animals needed water and no rain fell. The red rose began to wilt. One day the rose saw sparrows stick their beaks into the cactus and then fly away, refreshed.

This was puzzling, and the red rose asked the pine tree what the birds were doing. The pine tree explained that the birds got water from the cactus. "Does it not hurt when they make holes?" asked the rose.

"Yes, but the cactus does not like to see any birds suffer," replied the pine.

The rose opened its eyes in wonder and said, "The cactus has water?"

"Yes you can also drink from it. The sparrow can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help."

The red rose felt too ashamed of its past words and behavior to ask for water from the cactus, but then it finally did ask the cactus for help. The cactus kindly agreed and the birds filled their beaks with water and watered the rose's roots.

**********

Lesson to learn from the Story : Thus the rose and all of us learned a lesson and never judged anyone by their appearance again.

Taken from Adil's "Proudy Red Rose"

A Nice Lesson..!

Once a boy went to a shop with his mother. The shop keeper looked at the small cute child and showed him a bottle with sweets

And said 'Dear Child..u can take the sweets...

But the child didn't take. The shop keeper was surprised.. Such a small child he is and why is he not taking the sweets from the bottle. Again he said take the sweets....

Now the mother also heard that and said.. Take the sweets dear.. Yet he didn't take... The shopkeeper seeing the child not taking the sweets... He himself took the sweets and gave to the child. The child was happy to get two hands full of sweets.

While returning home the Mother asked the child... Why didn't you take the sweets, when the shop keeper told you to take?..

Can you guess the response: Child replies... Mom! My hands are very small and if I take the sweets I can only take few.. But now you see when uncle gave with his big hands.... How many more sweets I got!

Moral: When we take we may get little but when God gives... HE gives us more beyond our expectations. .. More than what we can hold..!!

Taken from Adil's "A Nice Lesson..!"

Management and Engineers

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She reduced altitude and spotted a man below.

She descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I don't know where I am."

The man below replied "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist. "I am", replied the man.

"How did you know?"

"Well, answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip even more."

The man below responded, "You must be in management."

"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "You don't know where you are or where you're going.You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems?!!"

BOTTOM LINE: just imagine
the management guys who are basically engineers... no wonder!!!!!

Taken from Adil's "Management & Engineers"

Yang Terbaik

Ada cerita tentang seorang tukang yang telah bekerja puluhan tahun dan ingin pensiun.
Ketika ia pamit, kontraktor yang mempekerjakannya memintanya untuk membuatkan sebuah rumah lagi.
Si tukang yang sudah sangat ingin pensiun, tak begitu senang mendapat tugas terakhir ini.
Maka ia bekerja setengah hati. Ia tak sungguh-sungguh memilih material maupun mengerjakan bagian-bagiannya.
Pokoknya ia ingin segera selesai dan bebas tugas. Maka rumah itu tak memiliki kualitas terbaik yang sebenarnya bisa ia berikan.

Begitu rumah itu jadi, segera ia serahkan kuncinya kepada si kontraktor. Namun si kontraktor mengembalikannya lagi kepada si tukang dengan ucapan, “Terimalah, rumah ini adalah hadiah untukmu dan keluargamu.”
Betapa menyesal si tukang, sebab jika ia tahu rumah itu akan ia tempati, pasti ia membangunnya dengan cara yang sangat berbeda!

Kehidupan yang kita bangun tiap-tiap hari, ibarat rumah yang kelak akan kita tinggali. Maka bahan dan cara yang kita pakai saat membangun, merupakan tanggung jawab dan pilihan pribadi kita.
Pertanyaannya, sudahkah kita selalu memberi pemikiran terbaik, usaha terbaik, serta keputusan terbaik ketika membangun hidup ini, sehingga kita mencapai tujuan Tuhan menciptakan kita?
Kita tak ingin menyesal melihat hidup kita di akhir tahun kelak, mari memulai tahun ini dengan melihat tujuan akhir.
Mari capai tujuan akhir kita dengan pengabdian terbaik setiap hari!
HIDUP MENCAPAI TUJUAN TERBAIK KETIKA HATI MAU MEMPERSEMBAHKAN YANG TERBAIK.

Taken from a friend's e-mail

Sukses

Sukses tidak ada hubungan dengan menjadi kaya raya.
Sukses itu tidak serumit / serahasia seperti kata Kiyosaki / Tung Desem Waringin / The Secret.
Sukses itu tidak perlu dikejar.
SUKSES adalah ANDA!
Karena kesuksesan terbesar ada pada diri anda sendiri...

Bagaimana Anda tercipta dari pertarungan jutaan sperma untuk membuahi 1 ovum, itu adalah sukses pertama Anda!
Bagaimana Anda bisa lahir dengan anggota tubuh sempurna tanpa cacat, itulah kesuksesan Anda kedua...
Ketika Anda ke sekolah bahkan bisa menikmati studi S1, di saat tiap menit ada 10 siswa drop out karena tidak mampu untuk membayar SPP, itulah sukses Anda ketiga...
Ketika Anda bisa bekerja di perusahaan bilangan segitiga emas, di saat 46 juta orang menjadi pengangguran, itulah kesuksesan Anda keempat...
Ketika Anda masih bisa makan tiga kali sehari, di saat ada 3 juta orang mati kelaparan setiap bulannya, itulah kesuksesan Anda yang kelima...
Sukses terjadi setiap hari, Namun Anda tidak pernah menyadarinya. ..

Saya sangat tersentuh ketika menonton film "Click!" yang dibintangi Adam Sandler, "Family comes first",begitu kata-kata terakhir kepada anaknya sebelum dia meninggal...
Saking sibuknya Si Adam Sandler ini mengejar kesuksesan, ia sampai tidak sempat meluangkan waktu untuk anak dan istrinya, bahkan tidak sempat menghadiri hari pemakaman ayahnya sendiri. Keluarganya pun berantakan, istrinya yang cantik menceraikannya, anaknya tidak mengenal siapa ayahnya...

Sukses selalu dibiaskan oleh penulis buku laris supaya bukunya bisa terus menerus menjadi best seller dengan menggambarkan bahwa sukses menjadi hal yg rumit dan sukar didapatkan...
Sukses tidak melulu soal harta, rumah mewah, mobil sport, jam Rolex, pensiun muda, menjadi pengusaha, punya kolam renang / helikopter, punya istri cantik seperti istri Donald Trump dan resort mewah di Karibia...
Sukses sejati adalah hidup dengan penuh syukur atas segala rahmat Tuhan, sukses yang sejati adalah menikmati dan bersyukur atas setiap detik kehidupan Anda.
Pada saat Anda gembira, Anda gembira sepenuhnya. Sedangkan pada saat Anda sedih, Anda sedih sepenuhnya. Setelah itu Anda sudah harus bersiap lagi menghadapi episode yang baru.

Sukses sejati adalah hidup benar di jalan Allah. Hidup baik, tidak menipu, apalagi scam, saleh dan selalu rendah hati.
Sukses itu tidak lagi menginginkan kekayaan ketimbang kemiskinan, tidak lagi menginginkan kesembuhan ketimbang sakit.
Sukses sejati adalah bisa menerima sepenuhnya kelebihan, keadaan, dan kekurangan Anda apa adanya dengan penuh syukur..

Pernahkah Anda menyadari bahwa Anda sebenarnya tidak membeli suatu barang dengan uang. Uang hanyalah alat tukar. Anda sebenarnya membeli rumah dengan waktu Anda. Ya, Anda mungkin harus kerja siang malam utk bayar KPR selama 15 tahun atau beli mobil / motor kredit selama 3 tahun.
Itu semua sebenarnya Anda dapatkan dari membarter waktu Anda. Anda menjual waktu Anda dari pagi hingga malam kepada penawar tertinggi untuk mendapatkan uang supaya bisa beli makanan, pulsa telepon dan lain-lain...

Aset terbesar Anda bukanlah rumah / mobil Anda, tapi diri Anda sendiri. Itu sebabnya mengapa orang pintar bisa digaji puluhan kali lipat dari orang bodoh...
Semakin berharga diri Anda, semakin mahal orang mau membeli waktu Anda...
Itu sebabnya kenapa harga 2 jam Kiyosaki yang berbicara ngalor ngidul di seminar bisa dibayar 200 juta atau harga 2 jam seminar Pak Tung bisa mencapai 100 juta!!!
Itu sebabnya kenapa Nike berani membayar Tiger Woods dan Michael Jordan sebesar 200 juta dollar, hanya untuk memakai produk Nike.
Suatu produk bermerek menjadi mahal / berharga bukan karena mereknya, tetapi karena produk tsb dipakai oleh seseorang....
Itu sebabnya bola basket bekas Michael Jordan diperebutkan dan bisa terjual 80 juta dollar, sedangkan bola basket bekas dengan merek sama, bila kita jual harganya justru malah turun...

Hidup ini kok lucu, kita seperti mengejar fatamorgana. Bila dilihat dari jauh, mungkin kita melihat air / emas. Namun ketika kita kejar dengan segenap tenaga kita dan akhirnya kita sampai, yang kita lihat hanyalah pantulan sinar matahari / corn flakes saja.

Oh... ternyata... lucu bila setelah Anda membaca tulisan di atas namun Anda masih mengejar fatamorgana tersebut ketimbang menghabiskan waktu Anda yang sangat berharga bersama dengan orangtua yang begitu mencintai Anda, memeluk hangat suami / istri / kekasih Anda atau pun mengatakan "I love you" kepada orang-orang yang anda cintai: orang tua, istri, suami, anak, atau sahabat-sahabat Anda.

Lakukanlah ini selagi Anda masih punya waktu, selagi Anda masih sempat. Anda tidak pernah tahu kapan Anda akan meninggal. Mungkin besok pagi, Mungkin nanti malam. LIFE is so SHORT. Enjoy Your Life. LIFE is so SHORT my dear friend....

Taken from my friend's e-mail